PALERMO (ITALPRESS) – The University of Palermo has joined as a member of the public-private partnership of the ICSC Foundation, the subject that coordinates and manages the National Research Centre in High Performance Computing, Big Data and Quantum Computing (ICSC). The news was given on the occasion of the event dedicated to the role of the Sicilian University in the perspectives of development of the ICSC National Center, which represented the first official moment of presentation of the National Center to the academic community of the University of Palermo. A step that opens a new phase of strategic collaboration and that will allow the University to contribute to the consolidation and valorisation of the results achieved by ICSC in recent years, thanks to recognized skills in the field of advanced calculation, high performance analysis of data and Artificial Intelligence, already protagonists of important national and international research initiatives. The accession of the University of Palermo to ICSC represents the natural approach of a path started in 2024 with the realization, at the campus of the University, of a High Performance Computing infrastructure, in support of the University Centre in Digital Prevention, Public Health & Management, and of the academic community, funded with the PNC funds of the DARE Project (Digital Lifelong Prevention), within which is the head of the University of Palermo A data center already federated with the CINECA that will become part of the distributed infrastructure of supercalcle realized by the National Center, contributing to make Palermo a reference point for the computational research advanced in the Mezzogiorno. Born in 2022 as part of the investments of the National Resumption and Resilience Plan, the ICSC National Centre is today one of the most important Italian initiatives dedicated to the development of advanced digital technologies. In just over four years he has created the first national public infrastructure capable of integrating resources of Cloud Computing, High Performance Computing and Quantum Computing, making available to the research and innovation system strategic computational capabilities to address major contemporary scientific and industrial challenges.
In the course of the PNRR phase, the Centre has promoted over 100 research projects dedicated to the development and application of emerging technologies in strategic areas for the country, started more than 70 industrial-driven projects, financed about 140 innovation projects and contributed to the production of over 3,700 scientific publications. Results that test the ability of ICSC to network universities, research bodies, enterprises and public administrations in a national ecosystem oriented to innovation and technology transfer. The aim of the National Centre is today to consolidate and make the heritage of competences, infrastructure and relationships built in recent years. Also thanks to the contribution of new members such as the University of Palermo, ICSC aims to transform investments made in a stable capacity at the service of the country, enhancing knowledge and technologies to support the growth of the productive system, strengthening national digital sovereignty and promoting the development of an increasingly competitive innovation ecosystem at international level. “The supercalculum is a strategic resource for the competitiveness and quality of research – says Massimo Midiri, Rector of the University of Palermo – Our University, thanks to the PNRR, invested in advanced computing infrastructures for support to numerous research projects. For UniPa, collaboration with ICSC is an important opportunity to access further advanced infrastructure through a shared model. For this model to be sustainable, access to systems must be ensured over time and promote responsible use of resources, even on the energy level. It is a commitment that concerns both the way we do research and the contribution we can make, through its results, the ecological transition and the development of the territory”.
“The decision of the University of Palermo to join the ICSC Foundation confirms once again the scope of the work done by the National Centre in recent years,” says Antonio Zoccoli, President of the ICSC National Centre, “In a relatively short time we managed to affirm ourselves as an enabling and attractive platform for research and innovation of the entire country system, building infrastructure, skills and collaborations that today represent a strategic heritage for Italy. Our goal is now to transform these results into concrete tools available to the productive system and public administration. The entry into reality of excellence such as the University of Palermo, carriers of advanced skills and a strong capacity for innovation, is a fundamental element to successfully address this new phase of development.” The event, held at the University of Palermo, was an important opportunity to discuss the future of supercalculum and emerging technologies in the country. During the first part of the day were illustrated the main results achieved by the ICSC National Centre and the projects currently underway, while outlining the strategic guidelines that will guide the activity of the Centre in the phase after the conclusion of the PNRR. A crucial step in defining the position of ICSC as a permanent infrastructure to support scientific research, industrial innovation, and national technological competitiveness. The second part of the day was, on the other hand, dedicated to the skills and initiatives developed by the University of Palermo in the fields of digitization, artificial intelligence, data management and computational sciences. A study space was dedicated to the research activities of the DARE Project, the Heal Italia Foundation, with the head of the University of Palermo, and the NBFC Project as well as the main activities related to the relationship with enterprises and public administrations. Experiences that will be an important flyer for future shared design, favoring new synergies between the National Centre, the world of research and the production of the territory.
– photo press office University of Palermo –
(ITALPRESS).
